Touk Teuv, Kompong Neuv

Water Falls, Shore Stays

An exhibition by Jean-François Perigois & Chhim Sothy

On view February 11 – March 08, 2026 | The Gallerist, Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh is a city shaped by water.

Rivers define its geography, nourish its land, and carry its history. Yet today, the capital stands at the crossroads of transformation, where heritage and modernity coexist in a fragile and ever-evolving balance. With Touk Teuv, Kampong Neuv, The Gallerist presents a dialogue between photography and painting that reflects on this shifting landscape. Through the works of Jean-François Perigois and Chhim Sothy, the exhibition explores the relationship between water, land, memory, and urban growth in contemporary Cambodia.

A Conversation Between Mediums

The exhibition brings together two distinct artistic languages.

Jean-François Perigois, a long-time observer of Cambodia, uses photography to document transformation as it unfolds. His images capture moments suspended between tradition and development, sacred gestures performed against modern skylines, ancestral aesthetics meeting concrete expansion. Through his lens, Phnom Penh becomes a living palimpsest, where past and present overlap.

In contrast, Chhim Sothy approaches the theme through painting. His works move beyond documentation into interpretation, evoking atmosphere, rhythm, and emotion. Through bold color, simplified figures, and symbolic gestures, he reflects on identity in transition, a society navigating continuity and change.

Together, photography and painting create a layered narrative: one grounded in observation, the other shaped by reflection.

Water as Metaphor

“Touk Teuv” — water runs.“Kampong Neuv” — the shore stays.

The title itself suggests movement and renewal. Water flows, adapts, reshapes its surroundings. It nourishes, but it can also erode. It connects communities while redefining territories.

In this exhibition, water becomes more than a physical element. It stands as a metaphor for transformation, for the fluidity of identity, the shifting boundaries of urban life, and the ongoing dialogue between heritage and aspiration.

Phnom Penh is no longer the city it was twenty years ago. Yet its spirit persists in gestures, rituals, and collective memory. This tension, between permanence and impermanence, lies at the heart of the exhibition.

From Raffles to The Gallerist

The project was first introduced through a collaborative chapter with Raffles Hotel Le Royal, where visual art and performance came together in a multisensory reflection on heritage and contemporary expression.

Now presented at The Gallerist, the exhibition invites a deeper engagement with the works themselves. Within the gallery space, visitors are encouraged to slow down, observe, and reflect. The shift in setting allows for intimacy — a closer dialogue between viewer and artwork, between artist and audience.

A Shared Reflection

Touk Teuv, Kampong Neuv is not only about landscape or architecture. It is about people, about the human presence within transformation.

It asks:

• How does a city remember while it evolves?

• What remains constant when surroundings change?

• How do traditions adapt without disappearing?

Through photography and painting, the exhibition offers no fixed answers. Instead, it opens space for contemplation.

Visit the Exhibition

On view: February 11 – March 08, 2026

Location: The Gallerist, Phnom Penh 15–17 Street 240

Tuesday – Sunday | 10AM – 6PM

We warmly invite you to experience Touk Teuv, Kampong Neuv and engage with this dialogue between water, memory, and modernity.

Because art matters — and in moments of change, it helps us see more clearly.